


Ties Bind You

by orphan_account



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Batfamily Feels, Child Assassin, Fluff and Angst, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Knives, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 18:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13793592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Noah James would like to think that he could live a normal life, but that would be incorrect. Lex Luthor pulls the strings and Slade Wilson ties them. The rest of the world sees him as the upbeat, happy ward of Lex Luthor, but that couldn't be further from the truth.





	Ties Bind You

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by another fic that I can't remember the name of. I'll credit them when I find it.

Noah was watching the crowd intensely, sticking close to his guardian's side. They were currently attending a charity gala at Wayne manor, and Noah hated every second of it. Rich old women coming over to pinch his cheeks and tell Luthor what a 'well behaved' young man he was. He was twelves years old, and apparently cuter then a sack full of puppies. He sighed and pushed his blond hair back. Lex tightened his hand on the young boy's shoulders, warning him. Appearances meant everything. No one could ever know, could ever catch a  _hint_ of what Noah or his guardian were. The monster hidden underneath their smiles. So that's exactly what he did. Smile. Ear to ear, the cheerful picture of a young man, who was open and kind, and eternally  _grateful_ to Lex Luthor who saved him from his drug addicted, abusive parents. 

Their host approached them, champagne flute in hand. His youngest son, trailing behind him. Bruce and Damian Wayne. Noah silently ran through everything he knew about them. Bruce Wayne was in his late thirties, infamous playboy billionaire who spent his money showering beautiful women with gifts and donating to local charities. He had several adopted children, who'd already moved out of the house, some out of Gotham. One had died, or been presumed dead, before he'd been found quite alive and well five years later. Slade had some interesting theories about  _that._ Damian Wayne was one year and nine months older than him. Was going to be fourteen three months after the party. He was home schooled, unlike the other Wayne children, and he put on a faux mature air, while displaying a childish disposition. 

" _Lex!"_ Bruce called, opening his arms in greeting. He handed Luthor a glass of champagne and the two started to talk about work, and Noah zoned out. He was watching a young woman in a red dress flaunt her breasts to a blushing man over the food table. What was the gala even for? Noah couldn't remember. It wasn't political, he didn't think, or they wouldn't be there, right? Because they were from Metropolis and they didn't really dip their toes in the politics of Gotham city. Not officially, at any rate. 

"And what about you, young man?" Wayne asked, causing Noah to snap his head up in attention towards Wayne, who was looking at him expectantly. "How are you enjoying the city?" 

"I like it." He said, forcing a smile on his face. "It's really big, and...has really neat stuff." He could feel Luthor was looking at him with a look of hidden disapproval. "But I gotta say, our superhero is cooler, though." 

Damian Wayne scoffed. "As if, Superman can't hold a candle to Batman." He said, raising and arrogant eyebrow, daring him to challenge him. 

"Now, now." Luthor placed a hand on the back of Noah's head, looking affectionate to the untrained eye, but his grip had grabbed roughly onto his hair. Noah knew how to keep from showing pain. "Don't fight boys." He said with an easy smile. 

"Sorry." Noah said. He looked at Bruce and smiled. "Can I use your bathroom?" He asked with that same bright smile, his blue eyes shining. He knew that he was truly the picture of innocence.   

"Of course, just up those stairs." Bruce pointed. "Third door on the left." 

"Thank you Mr. Wayne." He pipped up before he trotted away, towards the bathroom. When he was away from the crowd he pressed his finger to the small com on his year. "I'm alone." He said. 

"Good." A gravelly voice over the line said shortly. There was paper being sorted through from the other line, and the speaker stopped to take a drink of something. "Wayne is a paranoid man, he's put blockers around the entire estate, so I won't be able to track you via satellite. Where are you?" 

"Thought you were the best of the best, Slade." Noah joked, stepping into the bathroom, and locking the door. He heard the man growl lowly on the other end and sighed, rolling his eyes. "Second floor, third door on the left side. It's a bathroom." 

"There should be a vent, do you see it?" The man asked. Noah could hear him typing away on the computer. 

"Yep, right above the toilet." He pushed the lid down and stood on top of it, before reaching into his shirt, where he was hiding all of his tools. He unscrewed the vent and looked inside. There were no cameras and it was just big enough for him to crawl through. So he shimmied his way inside and grunted. "Alright, I'm in, where too next?" He asked. 

"Go forward until you reach the vents that go left and right. Put a sensor down, then go right. That'll take you right to Wayne's bedroom. Crawl through and put the bug somewhere in Wayne's room, then return to the party. You have four minutes and thirty seconds, starting now."  

Noah huffed and crawled forward, as quickly as he could, without making a crap ton of noise. When he got to the divide he laid down a sensor and continued on his way, with Salde telling him 'two minutes, nineteen seconds.' He looked into Wayne's room and found that no one was inside, so he quickly dropped from the ceiling and pulled out the bug. Noah had no idea why they all thought that they had a need to watch Wayne so closely. He was just a spoiled rich boy. Nothing spectacular to speak of. But still, he placed the bug inside of a potted plant. "It's finished." 

"Good job. Now you have thirty seconds to get back to the part." Slade said, and the line went dead. As Noah raced back, screwing everything back into place, he knew he wouldn't make it. He dropped down onto the bathroom floor and looked at his watch. He groaned, flushed the toilet and washed his hands. Opening the door he walked back to the party, knowing that something unpleasant would be waiting for him. 

Luthor was still talking to Wayne, but the son was off somewhere else, instead of right by his father's side. Noah looked around the room again, and found the young man over by the drink table speaking to a boy who looked about Noah's age. Black hair, blue eyes, chubby freckled cheeks. As well as another red haired boy, who looked to be the oldest of the three. 

Noah went back to Luthor's side, who greeted him with a smile and a sharp pat on the back, the same punishing hand running through his hair, pulling at it. "Well, thank you for talking with me Lex, I hope to see you at the next gathering." The host smiled and waved before he went over to talk to others. 

Luthor rounded on him, when he was out of earshot. "You stupid brat." He growled lowly, his smile never once leaving his face. "When we return to Metropolis, you  _will_ be severely punished."  Noah smiled back, knowing what was expected of him, but he didn't say anything. "Now yawn, we're returning tonight." 

Noah did as he was commanded and yawned. Luthor made his excuse, and the two were sat in the back of a limo, silently. Mercy was driving them quickly. Noah rested his head against the glass of the window. He didn't know if he'd have time for a nap by the time they returned home. He and Slade had a job to do, in Bloodhaven. So he wondered if he'd be punished before or after said mission. Probably after. Slade didn't like to take him along if he wasn't at 100% for a mission, but Luthor might just be that angry about him failing to return on time. 

Still, Slade wouldn't take him if he was too damaged. Slade reminded Luthor of that fact almost as soon as they stepped through the doors of the penthouse, so Luthor ordered Noah away from him to get ready. His uniform had already been laid out for him. The black material stretched comfortably over his body, and the thin orange metal on the chest, knees, and face kept him protected, while also making him appear to be like the young Slade they demanded he become. He had a long sword, a few guns, and knives. All could fit around the holster for his hips. He tightened everything, and pulled the hood up, covering his blond hair. 

He sat at the edge of his small bed and looked at a mirror that was sitting across from him. He couldn't see that bright little boy from the gala. He was a shade, a monster in human form. He was going out to kill again. To rob others of their lives and possessions so Lex Luthor could have one thing or another through  _his_ hard work. It was probably kryptonite, Luthor had an obsession with the stuff.   

That life had started very suddenly for him. He'd been happy, very happy, as any little child should be. Then when he was four years old, Lex Luthor came to collect a debt from his father. His father had no money, and four other kids to think about, so he'd given away the youngest. Five years later, he returned with Slade, a simple order to finish off the rest of his family. He'd done it, killed them, all of them. His three brothers, his sister, his mother, father, and grandmother. At nine years old. There was no returning after something like that happened. So he'd fallen down into the depths of murder and darkness, allowing himself to be molded into the perfect assassin, the perfect apprentice, the perfect mask.

Slade took good care of him, more or less. He'd look after him when he was sick, he over saw all of Noah's training, he wouldn't let Luthor go too far with his punishments. Slade was the closest thing that Noah had to a parent, but he didn't fool himself for even a moment. He didn't occupy his thoughts with the nonsense that he actually mattered to Slade, because he didn't. Nothing did, nothing but money and power had ever mattered to that man. Noah just brought him an abundance of both, which made him valuable. 

When he was still young, he'd cry. Luthor beat him out of that. When he'd have nightmares, Slade taught him to calm himself so he wouldn't need others help. When Noah had been sick on the carpet of one of Luthor's associates, he'd been forced to eat it. When he threw up on Slade's boots once during a meeting, Slade sent him home with an order for bed rest. No matter what Slade felt for him, he was thousands of times better than Luthor. 

Renegade stood and turned towards the door, Noah fading away from him. He was ready to go, to kill, to prove himself to his mentor. He set his shoulders straight and walked into the hallway, and saw that Slade was already on his way to collect him. "You ready, kid?" He asked. 

"Yes, sir." He said, bowing his head. "What is my mission?"    


End file.
